Peter Mattoo is the only South Asian running for Delta Council

PETER Mattoo, a 34-year Delta resident, who officially filed his nomination papers to run as a candidate for Delta Council last week, is the only South Asian candidate that will appear on the ballot in Delta in the municipal election.

Running a campaign aiming to “shake up the status quo,” Mattoo is speaking out about the lack of different voices, cultural heritage or opinions on the current Council.

“We have a popular mayor and a group of incumbent candidates that continue to speak the same rhetoric that has been used for decades,” says Mattoo. “I truly believe that Delta needs a wider group of voices on Council that better reflect the diversity within the community.”

Mattoo, a family man with a trades and educational professional background, says he is tired of important priorities such as monitoring development around Burns Bog and increasing transportation options being passed onto committees for study, because no action is ever taken.

Young people are leaving the city they grew up in because of a lack of affordable housing options. Seniors lack resources and facilities to lead an active lifestyle. Business development in the community is stagnant because of lack of policies by the current mayor and Council, Mattoo points out.

These are issues that are falling on deaf ears within Municipal Hall, yet are top on the mind of voters he meets at the doorsteps, adds Mattoo.

“There is a huge gap between the needs of the community and the activity or lack thereof happening at Municipal Hall,” he says. “I’ve been door-knocking consistently for the past month, and I realize how alienated and ignored Delta residents are by their current civic leadership.”

Mattoo says is looking to make history as the first South Asian elected official in Delta.

For more information about Peter, voters can visit his website at www.petermattoo.ca, or can follow his ongoing comments about electoral issues through his Twitter account: @petersmattoo